Empress Plaza II, 18 Hillcrest Ave: Menkes’ 1996 Tower by Empress Walk

Empress Plaza II at 18 Hillcrest Avenue is the second of two matching towers a block from Empress Walk, and of the pair it is the one buyers are currently paying more for. It is a 1996 Menkes building with a squash court, a staffed lobby and parking in the fee, across the road from 21 Hillcrest and The Pinnacle. It is also 30 years old, and that should shape how you buy. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The second Empress Plaza tower

Empress Plaza II followed the first Empress Plaza tower at 35 Empress Avenue by about seven months. Condos.ca lists both at 23 storeys and 224 suites, with similar suite ranges, which suggests the same basic design. Each is a separate corporation, though, so fees, reserve funds and the condition of common areas can differ.

Names get mixed up online. REW labels 35 Empress Avenue as Empress Plaza 2, while condos.ca uses Empress Plaza II for this building at 18 Hillcrest. The corporation number is the reliable test: this building is MTCC-1125, and the Empress Avenue tower is MTCC-1099.

Condos.ca credits Menkes, the same developer behind Empress Walk and The Pinnacle a few doors away. That gives this corner a consistent first-generation Menkes character: practical layouts, staffed lobbies and recreation floors rather than showpiece architecture.

Suites in a tight size range

Condos.ca puts suites at about 547 to 1,082 square feet. Like its sister tower, the range is narrow, with one-bedrooms, one-plus-dens and two-bedrooms making up most of the building and no very small studios or large penthouses at the extremes.

Both suites listed for sale when I checked were two-bedrooms. That is the plan buyers usually come here for: a real second bedroom for a child, a roommate or a home office, at a size that newer North York towers rarely offer at this price.

Expect older room layouts, with more defined kitchens and less open-plan space than a new suite. Many suites will have been renovated by now, and the gap in price between an updated suite and an original one should reflect the real cost of a kitchen, bathroom and flooring.

Rentals, fees and what is not included

When I checked, there were four suites listed for rent against two for sale. That points to a healthy investor presence, which is normal for a tower this close to North York Centre station and Empress Walk. It also means more move-ins and move-outs, and it is worth asking the property manager about elevator booking and how the building handles them.

A high share of rented suites also changes who shows up to the annual meeting. If you are buying to live here, read recent board minutes to see how decisions are made, how fees have moved, and whether owners are engaged.

The fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water. On the two current sale listings, fees ran from about $830 to $890 a month. Heat, air conditioning and hydro are not listed, so budget for your own utilities, and ask the seller for a year of bills.

Across the street, 21 Hillcrest’s higher fee includes heat and air conditioning. If you are choosing between the two, compare total monthly cost, not the fee alone.

Living on Hillcrest Avenue

Hillcrest Avenue sits just east of Yonge, between Empress Avenue and the blocks to the south, with The Pinnacle at 8 Hillcrest anchoring the Empress Walk end. Empress Walk has a Cineplex, LCBO, Shoppers Drug Mart and an underground connection to North York Centre station, and the data panel on this page gives the exact walking details.

The Loblaws in Empress Walk closed in October 2025, and Wikipedia reports a T&T Supermarket is slated to replace it in 2026. Mel Lastman Square, the North York Civic Centre and the central library are across Yonge, so you have civic services, a library and a public square within a short walk.

Being on a side street gives you some distance from Yonge traffic, but Hillcrest is lined with towers, so expect a busy, urban street rather than a residential one.

The upside of so many towers on one short street is choice. Within a block you can compare Empress Plaza II with 21 Hillcrest, The Pinnacle and the sister tower on Empress Avenue, four buildings of different ages, fee structures and price points. I often walk buyers through two or three of them on the same afternoon, because seeing the lobbies, corridors and amenity floors side by side tells you more than any listing sheet.

What Empress Plaza II costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $703 per square foot, above its sister tower at 35 Empress Avenue at about $671 and above 21 Hillcrest at about $633, but below The Pinnacle at about $790. The gap with its twin is worth asking about: it may reflect recent renovations, the mix of suites that sold, or differences in fees and reserve funds.

When I checked, two two-bedroom suites were for sale, asking from $729,000 to $790,000, with fees from about $830 to $890 a month. Two listings is a small sample, so use recent closed sales to judge where a given suite should price.

For closed results, use the sold data on this page, or ask me for a building sold report comparing both Empress Plaza towers.

Building specifications

Amenities at Empress Plaza II

Condos.ca lists a concierge, security, a sauna and a squash court, which is the same older-style package as the sister tower. It is modest by today’s standards, but there is no pool listed, so one of the costliest pieces of equipment a tower can own is not in the reserve fund.

Jatin’s honest take on Empress Plaza II

Empress Plaza II — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.